Ron Stoppable and the Prisoner of Cell Block D
by ekrekeler
Summary: Kim Possible crossover with Michael Vey. When Kim gets kidnapped by a mysterious agency called the "Elgen," Ron must go to rescue her while trying to mend their broken friendship at the same time. Rated T for violence.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Notes:

Hi all! I know I'm unspeakably evil for starting yet another story while I have two incomplete others, but this idea popped into my head after reading Battle of the Ampere by Richard Paul Evans, and I had to write it. Of course, this isn't exactly the best crossover to do with Kim Possible, but I thought it would be really cool anyway, plus it's original.

For this particular work of mine, I've decided to make Ron Stoppable the main character, as demonstrated by the title. I mean, why not? Kim is always the center of attention on many of the KP fanfictions out there, not to mention the actual show, so why can't I change it up a bit? There's that, and it works better for the storyline because Michael is the main character in the Vey , I am writing this in third person because frankly, I think that both writing and reading are hard to do in first person. Sorry Paul Evans, but The Prisoner of Cell 25 was just really hard to follow. It was, in my opinion, the worst "good" book I've ever read, just for that reason. On a more positive note, don't forget to rate &amp; review!

* * *

It was another lousy day for Ron Stoppable. The bullies in D Hall didn't let up for him, his teachers were relentless (especially Mr. Barkin), the mystery meat from the cafeteria was making his stomach do flips, and his pants fell down in the middle of gym class. But worst of all, he was lonely. Very lonely.

Ron really had little friends in high school. Actually, Ron had no friends at all. Even the other "losers" didn't want to hang around him. He had a friend; he just didn't go to high school with him. Wade Load was only twelve years old, but that wasn't the reason he wasn't in high school with Ron. Wade had already aced high school and college in just nine months. He was the smartest kid that Ron had ever known, while he also developed a taste for a wide variety of high-calorie foods. However, while Wade was very knowledgeable in almost every topic known to man, the only subject where Wade and Ron both had no idea whatsoever about was girls. Wade could not figure out how they worked. Yes, they were living beings of the opposite gender, but that was about all he knew, and Ron was right there with him. Ron had learned to just ignore them and they would leave him alone.

But of course, that just made him all the more lonesome.

Ron used to have a friend going to school with him. Best friend actually, but Kim was way higher on the food chain, so they kind of drifted apart. At least that's why Ron thought it happened. Well, he did kind of quit the whole mission thing after Rufus had been killed in an accident, which Ron blamed on himself. He was too depressed after that to go on missions anymore. He assumed that since neither he nor Wade heard from Kim anymore, she just took missions on her own.

"Stoppable, would you kindly demonstrate to the class the tone of the poem assigned last night?"

Ron drifted back to the present as he put together what Mr. Barkin, towering over him, had just asked him. Of course, with his luck, it would be a question about the reading that he didn't complete.

"Um, well, I believe that the speaker was speaking in a very low tone," Ron answered after some time, hoping that his answer would somehow be right. However, just his luck, the snickering of his classmates around him told him otherwise.

Ron put his chin on his desk and crossed his arms in front of him in frustration as Mr. Barkin walked to the front of the classroom and snapped the textbook he was holding shut. In his signature baritone voice, Mr. Barkin asked, "Would anyone else be so kind as to explain to Mr. Stoppable what the word 'tone' means when discussing literature, and then correctly answer the question?"

A girl ahead of him raised her hand. It was one of the cheerleaders. Figures, he was outsmarted by a cheerleader.

"Tone in literature is used to describe the feeling or 'mood' of a particular piece of literature. For example, the tone demonstrated in the assigned poem is angst."

Ron's head immediately perked up. He knew that voice! He looked for the source of the speaking. Yep, there in the front row sat a particular redhead that frequently single-handedly saved the world.

"DO WE HAVE A CLEAR UNDERSTANDING of what 'tone' is, Mr. Stoppable?" Mr. Barkin half bellowed/half whispered while he elegantly and ever so slightly bent his pointer.

"Yes," Ron mumbled, humiliated.

"I can't hear you," Mr. Barkin seemed to poke holes in him with his cold, set eyes.

"Yes sir," Ron made sure he was heard this time. He stared at his blank notebook as Mr. Barkin continued the lecture. Ron was used to being humiliated in class, but this was a new low for him. He swore that the military man turned all-purpose substitute teacher was still out for blood. Not only that, but to be outsmarted by his dream girl was just too much for him. Yep, this was officially a new low for Ron.

The ringing bell announced the end of the period. At least English was his last class; now he could go home and forget about all that happened. He used to practice with the cheer squad because he was the mascot, but that stopped after the "incident." He headed to his locker to grab his things, but as he turned the corner, he stopped in his tracks. There was Kim, next to his locker. What was she doing? Was she… waiting for him?

Ron didn't feel like talking to Kim. Not after what happened to Rufus; it would just open old wounds. He casually turned around and decided to take a detour to wait Kim out. After all, she had cheer practice, and he didn't. Unfortunately, what he didn't count on was running into Jack and Wade in D Hall.

"Hey Stoppable, I got a question for you," Jack said.

Ron cowered in the presence of the D Hall menaces. "Uh, sure guys. What's up?" he managed to squeak out.

Wade stepped on the other side of him, cutting off any sort of escape attempt. "Somebody ratted us out," he said, licking his lips in anticipation.

"Did ya run home to mommy, Stoppable?" Jack singsonged, "Mama told the principal and the principal said, 'No more monkeys beating up the kids!"

Ron shivered in response to the taunt. "No, no dudes, it wasn't me!" he said. Wade grabbed him by the front of the shirt and reared back his fist in response. "No seriously, it wasn't me! I swear!" Ron was getting desperate now. "I-i-it was probably another Ron! It was Reiger, yeah him!"

Wade dropped his fist but still held onto Ron's shirt. "Reiger?" He asked.

"Yeah, Ron Reiger probably told on you! I-I-I mean he's always skipping P.E. class, right?"

Jack pounded his fist into his hand. "Yeah, it probably was him."

"Let's get him!" Wade said, letting Ron drop to the ground.

Ron got up and dusted himself off after the bullies left. "Stupid jerks," he mumbled. Reiger skipping P.E. has nothing to do with him telling on them. When he returned to his locker, Kim had left, so he quickly grabbed his books and headed straight home.

* * *

Author's Notes:

I know it's not much to start with, but I think that this story has great potential. *HEADS UP* I have a poll on my profile for this particular story on what foes of Kim and Ron's should be included in this tale. Vote if you are interested!

For any artists out there, I would LOVE it if someone was willing enough to make a cover for this fic. Maybe Ron with some lightening arcing between his hands or something.

For anyone who wants to know why I was absent for almost a year, I got a girlfriend. (Yay me!) I'm sure many of you know how that goes. We broke some time ago, and so I am just now getting back into writing. There was that, and I've also got college apps on top of me plain being lazy. I have the next couple chapters in beta phase, so hopefully if I fall behind again I can at least post those chapters in the coming weeks.

This is the Krekeler,

over and out.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Notes:

Hello everyone! I have been posting a new chapter to one of my stories every week and it seems to have been working out so far. I didn't actually do any writing this past week, but I was fortunate enough to have this chapter done already. I might not be able to update every week like I have been, but then I should be able to update at least once every two weeks.

Disclaimer: I am still nowhere near achieving my goal of owning Kim Possible. You will still have to call her, beep her, if you wanna reach her.

* * *

When he got home, Ron shut the front door and went quietly up to his room to avoid disturbing his mother while she was working. He closed the door and threw himself on the bed for several moments. Just when he was beginning to drift off, his computer beeped signaling that he had an incoming video call. Ron groaned and got up off the bed and hit the enter key. Ron's friend, Wade Load, filled the screen. Ron always found it ironic how one of his best friends shared the same name as one of his worst enemies, one of the D hall bullies. "What up, Wade?"

"Hey Ron, I see you just got home."

"How do you even know that?" Ron asked, scratching his head.

"Well," Wade began, "by using strategically placed satellites around the globe and advanced triangulation technology to process specific telemetry measurements—"

"Never mind, forget I asked," Ron cut him off.

"Well anyway, the high-voltage multimeter just arrived today, want to test it out?"

"Wade, I thought we discussed this. I'm really not comfortable with using my… disability."

"It's not a disability if you can use it to your advantage," Wade countered.

"Okay, name a situation where I could use it to my advantage."

"Um, you could power your own flashlight," Wade suggested.

"Yeah, bravo, like that'll ever come in handy."

"It might, sometime… maybe… someday… I don't know," Wade stumbled, "but just imagine the applications with an infinite source of high-voltage power!"

"Yay, I'm a human generator," Ron said sarcastically.

"I'm serious, Ron! C'mon, just let me try it? Please?"

"Oh, all right, just to get you off my back."

"Yes!" Wade did a fist pump sitting in his chair. "Be right over."

"Oh and Wade?"

"Yeah?"

"Be quiet because my mom is working."

"Gotcha. See ya in a bit, Ron. Wade out."

Ron put his computer to sleep and then sat down on his bed. He held his hand up and looked at it curiously. He brought his index finger millimeters away from his index finger and pulsed a little. A small spark could be seen between his fingers for a second. He threw his hand down on his bed and sighed. Ron called it his curse. Thus far it had only caused trouble, for him, and for those close to him. That was why he never told anyone but his mother, and of course Wade. However Wade had found out himself and when he confronted Ron about it there was nothing Ron could do. Wade could understand Ron not wanting to talk about it, but after Kim couldn't come up with a coherent explanation for Rufus's death even though she saw it with her own eyes, Wade did some digging. He looked at the old video feeds from the security cameras at the time "it" happened, and made a surprising discovery about Ron.

When he actually ventured out of his house and confronted Ron about it in person, Ron was just dying to talk to a friend about it and his defenses broke down. Somehow, Ron had managed to keep his secret from Kim all these years, despite having been best friends for thirteen years. They used to share everything with each other: their fears, their dreams, and their feelings. But Ron did not want to imagine what Kim would do to him if she ever found out he was hiding something this big. Stuff him into his locker like the D Hall bullies? Yep. Deprive him of his manhood with a sucker punch between the legs? Most likely. Kick his sorry butt all the way to Antarctica? Definitely. After all, she can do anything. Fortunately for him, Kim wasn't around anymore so there was much less of a chance of her finding out.

A soft knock on his front door told him that Wade was there. Ron went downstairs and opened the door to see Wade holding some large black device with red and black wires attached to it.

"Hey Ron, long time no see," Wade said, stepping through the door.

"Ha ha, yeah. Come on upstairs to my room; I don't want my mom seeing us doing this," Ron told him. His mother didn't know that he had told Wade, and he hoped to keep it that way. The less stress she had to deal with, the better.

Once they were in Ron's room Ron shut the door and locked it. Wade sat down in Ron's computer chair and took out a legal pad. "Date: March 8th," Wade said aloud as he scribbled it down, "time," he checked his watch, "4:47 P.M. Subject of analysis: Ron Stoppable. Condition of subject," he paused and looked up at Ron. "Are you feeling normal today?"

"Normal for me, I guess."

Wade scribbled something down. "Did you eat normally?"

"If the cafeteria's mystery meat is considered normal, which I'm sure it's not."

"Did you sleep normally last night?"

"I got enough sleep."

"Do you feel any more or less electric than usual?"

"Wade, you're making me feel like the test subject for a new electric chair."

"Usual then," he wrote something down. "Okay, take a probe in each hand and make sure you're touching the metal tips," Wade said, handing Ron a red wire and a black wire. Ron took the wires and held them in the palms of his hands, one in the left and one in the right. He held the metal tips of the probes between his index fingers and thumbs. Wade turned a dial on the device and the LCD screen turned on. "Ron, when I say 'fire', you give me all you got. Can you do that?"

"Yeah I think so."

"Alright. Here we go. 3... 2... 1...fire!"

Ron pulsed with all he had. The crackle of electricity, like high-voltage power lines, could be heard throughout the room. The lamp on Ron's nightstand dimmed slightly. After a few seconds Ron ran out of charge and stopped pulsing.

"Whoa!" Wade exclaimed. His eyes bulged as he wrote on his legal pad. "Did you see the lamp over there darken?" he asked.

"Yeah, kinda, why?" Ron sensed a science lecture coming on.

"You produced so much voltage that the magnetic field the current produced interfered with the magnetic field of the electricity powering your house! The stronger the current, the stronger the magnetic field is. So the current you just produced was so strong that it noticeably reduced the flow of electrons through this house!"

"I just sure hope I didn't interrupt my mom working."

"Ron do you know how much voltage you produced?" Wade continued ignoring Ron's comment.

"Yeah why?" Ron asked jokingly.

"Almost four-thousand volts! You could practically power a whole freaking neighborhood with that!"

"Great, next time the power goes out I'll tell the electric company I got 'em covered."

"Ron why do you have to be so laid-back about this? You could change the world."

"Well what if I don't want to change the world?!" Ron suddenly blew up. "You know I never asked for this! I never asked to be a freak! I never asked to be picked on and do nothing about it even though I can! I..." he quieted down, "I never asked... Rufus..." Ron broke down in tears.

Wade suddenly felt guilty. "I'm sorry, Ron. I just didn't think about... this, about how you felt. I shouldn't have said what I said."

Ron wiped his eyes on his sleeve. "It's not your fault, I just have alot to deal with." He sighed.

Wade, desperately wanting to change the subject, asked, "Soooooo, how's Kim?"

"I don't know. You know we don't talk anymore, right?"

"But you have the same classes. You still don't talk?"

"Nope." Ron neglected to mention how Kim was at his locker earlier.

Wade looked around Ron's room. "Oh man, is that Iron Cogs IV?" he blurted out when he saw it on Ron's desk.

"You betcha. Want to try it out?"

"Totally! C'mon, let's go downstairs!" Wade was already out his door, game in hand. Ron followed after him.

* * *

It began raining soon after Kim ended cheer practice. Afterwards, she walked home by herself. Kim felt pretty lonely these days. She did have friends, but they consisted mostly of some girls in the cheer squad, whom Kim didn't meet up with outside of school, and Monique, who was usually busy working at Club Banana. But most of the problem was the absence of Ron. She didn't go on missions anymore, because it wasn't the same without Ron at her side. It wasn't just the missions, either. Ron would be there to make an annoying fuss over some inane matter, or make a quirky joke without even realizing he made a joke at all. Kim now realized how much she missed that part about him. It was part of his "essential Ronness", as he would call it.

The biggest part of the problem was that Ron was still avoiding her. He wouldn't talk to her anymore in school, and he wouldn't answer her calls either. She let him have his space after... something unexpectedly happened to Rufus, but it had been a whole three months! Kim understood how deep Ron's relationship with Rufus was, but he had to be over it by now. She was concerned about him as well. He wasn't doing very well in his classes and if he didn't change his behavior soon he might fail the semester. She was going to talk to him after school, but he didn't show up at his locker. She figured that she'd talk to him tonight face to face and give him an offer he couldn't resist. Her mind was set. Kim Possible was going to get her Ron back.

* * *

Author's Notes:

So I know that this one is a little dull as well as it is more plot development and it is pretty short as well. The next few chapters will be the same except they will be longer. The next chapter will get into detail about what's going on between Kim and Ron.

Kudos to anyone who got my indirect reference to Metal Gear. I thought it would be funny to call it "Iron Cogs."

I have two Wades because I didn't want to change their names.I can't change Wade Load's name for obvious reasons. I decided against changing Wade from Michael Vey's name because Jack and Wade will play an important role in the story just as they did in the novels. I will make sure to distinguish between the two every time I switch between them to avoid as much confusion as possible.

If anyone is interested in making cover art for this story, please PM me.

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. As always, feel free to leave a review. I will always respond to anyone who leaves quality commentary. So until next time!

This is the Krekeler,

over and out.


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Notes:

Disclaimer: Kim Possible, you belong to Disney, blah, blah, blah, blah blah.

Shego: "See, you were born to be a sidekick!"

Me: "Neuh nerh nerh nuh neeh neh neh neh."

Shego: "What was that?"

Me: "Nothing, oh Supreme One! Nothing at all!"

* * *

"Alright Ron, I'll see you later," Wade said as he stepped outside into the rain. "That game is AWESOME!"

"I know, right? Hey, are you sure you don't need a ride home?" Ron asked, putting his hand out to catch some raindrops.

"No, I can make it home just fine. I only live down the street."

"Alright, I'll see ya later buddy. Bones. " Ron held out his fist.

"Bones." Wade bumped his fist against Ron's and walked down the street. Ron went back inside and decided to take a shower so that he wouldn't have to take one in the morning. He grabbed a towel and walked into his bathroom. About ten minutes later, he emerged from the restroom with the towel tied around his waist and water droplets dotting his chest and his hair. He went to get his clothes, but as he walked towards his bedroom, the doorbell rang.

"Ronald, I'm busy; would you please get that?" His mother asked.

Forgetting his current state of undress, he replied, "Yeah, I'll get it." He turned and walked down the stairs to his front door. Ron moved to open the door but tripped over a corner of his towel right as he was about to grab the door. As he fell, he grabbed the door handle to try and steady himself, but that only opened the front door enough for him to bang his head on it. The whole fiasco sounded somewhat like, "Whoaaaa," _BONK!_ "AAAAOW!"

Ron heard giggling as he sat up and rubbed his head. When he looked up, he saw Kim snickering with her hand over her mouth looking down at him. With Ron's brain in overload from the fall, and then Kim showing up at his door, he came up with the most logical thing he could say, "Whaaaaa Kim WhatAreYouDoingHere?!"

"Um, may I ask first why you answered the door in a towel?" Kim asked, slightly blushing.

Ron, like a deer caught in the headlights, looked at Kim, then looked down at his bare chest, then back at Kim, then back down, and then stared at Kim. Now realizing his condition, he formulated the best excuse he could come up with, "Uuuuuummmm, I was… going to… take a shower outside, because it's… showering?" It was more of a question than a statement.

"Riiiiiiiiiight," Kim said with half-lidded eyes. She stepped in, shook her umbrella, closed the door, and hung her coat on the coat rack. "Am I not allowed to visit my best friend?"

"Well, I guess if you put it that way," Ron began. "Wait, we're still friends?"

"Duh, where've you been for the past three months?" Kim remarked as she put her hands on her hips and bent down over him as if she was his mother.

"But, I thought… that you had moved on or something. You don't talk to me anymore, well didn't now, I guess, and you never called me or asked me to go with you on a mission."

"What?" Ron was taken a back from the shock in Kim's voice. "I try to talk to you after class, but you always rush out the door, I never see you during lunch, and I couldn't even find you at your locker today! And on top of that, your phone always goes straight to voicemail!" Kim's voice was getting louder.

"Oh, I kinda forgot to unblock you. You know, it's just that I wanted to be left alone. Maybe that's why I thought you never called.

"You think?!" Kim was practically shouting at him now, and her chest was heaving. Ron was visibly scared, but Kim continued. "I didn't move on! You've been avoiding me and I can't take it anymore!" Ron backed away from Kim into the family room on all fours (still in a towel) as Kim kept advancing.

His back hit the sofa in his family room. He was trapped. He climbed onto the sofa in desperation that Kim would give him some space. Ron knew that it was not a good idea to be the source of anger to a certain cheerleader whose attitude was as fiery as her hair when she was mad. Unfortunately, the words he picked next were not the right ones at all. "Kim I thought it was something to do with the food chain or something and that's why—"

"DO YOU THINK I CARE ABOUT ANY OF THAT CRAP RIGHT NOW?!"

Ron's face was now pale with fear.

At that point, Ron's mother called from her office, "Ronald would you keep it down in there? I'm trying to work!"

However neither of the teens heard her. Ron was paralyzed with fear, and Kim was blinded by rage at the moment. But it was enough for Kim to notice how much she was scaring Ron, and having spent all her anger she dropped to her knees, broke down, and cried. "I'm sorry Ron," she sniffled, "I was just upset." She sniffed again. "I just really, really missed you."

Ron, no longer fearful for his life, felt guilty to see Kim crying in front of him. He pondered what Kim had said, and concluded that it really was his fault that he and Kim weren't talking. He had shut everybody out in his depression, which only made him more depressed. Thus he had shut Kim out and created the illusion that she didn't want to be friends anymore. However that not only hurt himself, but it affected Kim as well as he could obviously tell now.

Ron reached over and touched Kim, still softly crying, on the shoulder. "Hey." She looked up with red, puffy eyes. "Come here," he spoke while he gestured to himself. Kim moved stood and Ron guided her into his lap. He pulled her close as Kim wrapped her arms around him and laid her head against his shoulder, her forehead touching his neck. Ron stroked her hair until she quieted down.

When Kim had stopped crying, Ron said, "I'm the one who should be sorry Kim, not you. I shouldn't have pushed you away like that. That was a stupid thing to do. You have every right to be mad at me." When she didn't say anything, Ron continued, "All this time I fooled myself into believing that you didn't want to be friends anymore when you were probably wondering when I'd let up. Gosh I feel like such a jerk. And now that I think about it, I shouldn't have let something like... what happened to Rufus get in the way of our friendship. I'm sorry for not realizing that earlier."

Kim looked up at Ron. She thought about what he had just said. He had pushed her away, but Kim knew that he didn't mean to. So, it was his fault, but in a way, it wasn't his fault. Kim didn't want to think about it now though. She just wanted to hold onto him for the little time she had with Ron before she had to go home. After all, she hadn't talked to him for a good three months. "I feel better now. Just…" Kim sighed. "Hold me," she whispered, snuggling deeper into Ron's shoulder as she closed her eyes. His soft chest was warm against her cheek, and a little damp from the shower. Though she had just been crying her eyes out moments earlier, Kim never felt more comfortable than she did in that moment. She could have fallen asleep.

While Kim was comfortable, Ron was up in the clouds. Kim, his best friend, who just minutes ago he thought didn't like him anymore, was practically cuddling with him. Had she done so before, it would have been awkward, but now it just felt really good. Kim felt so soft in his hands, and her auburn hair smelled like the strawberry shampoo that she used, and it felt so smooth. He could feel her heart beating and the warmth from her breath on his chest. All the skin contact was intoxicating to him, as he hadn't been this physically close to Kim since their last mission. In fact it was so intoxicating that it was becoming a little uncomfortable for him (he was running out of room in the front of his towel fast). He wasn't to blame; any warm-blooded male would have this problem in his situation.

Surprisingly, he was more concerned about something else. He wanted so bad to tell Kim how he felt about her, what he'd been thinking, but he couldn't bring himself to do it, mostly because it was Kim. Don't get him wrong; Ron found Kim very attractive. But he treasured their friendship more than anything else. He didn't want something like a relationship to get in the way of that. He already made the mistake of letting his depression get in the way and it took its toll on him. Since the 'incident' Ron hadn't been himself, even around Wade. Kim was someone he could be himself around, so it was really hard for him after he stopped talking to her. He decided that he never wanted that to happen again. He always wanted to have his KP. So Ron settled on enjoying the moment. After all, anybody can dream.

He looked down at Kim, who looked troubled at the moment. "What's wrong, KP?"

Kim smiled. It felt so good to hear him call her "KP" again. "Nothing, Ron. It's just been a while," she said, still looking troubled.

Just then, Mrs. Stoppable came down the stairs. "Ron, what would you like for dinner?" Kim separated from Ron but stayed on the sofa. Mrs. Stoppable continued, "We have some leftover chicken..." she stopped when she turned her head and saw Ron in a towel sitting next to Kim. She raised an eyebrow. "Ronald—"

"I can explain!" he panicked, "I took a shower, then you asked me to answer the door, and it was Kim, and I hadn't seen her in a while and we were just catching up—"

"Okay Ronald, I think I get it. But you know, usually people like to be dressed before they invite someone inside."

"Yeah I know, I just wasn't thinking," Ron said, rubbing his neck.

"Same old Ron," quipped Kim, nudging him with her elbow.

Ron's embarrassment became confidence and he flashed his trademark goofy grin.

"Well in that case, would like to stay for dinner, Kimberly?" Mrs. Stoppable asked.

No, I don't think I should overstay my welcome; I didn't really ask to come over anyway," she replied, grabbing her coat and opening the door. She quickly closed it when she was greeted with a torrent of rain. She would be soaked by the time she got home, with or without umbrella.

"Oh, it's quite alright," Mrs. Stoppable said with a knowing smile. "I'm sure Ronald wouldn't mind. And since you always have him over at your house, I think it would be nice to return the favor." Mrs. Stoppable said.

"Well alright, I guess I'll stay for dinner. Just let me tell my parents," Kim said, taking out her phone.

"Now Ronald, we have a guest. Why don't you go get dressed?"

"Ha ha, yeah, okay mom," he laughed sarcastically, getting up and going upstairs to his Room.

Mrs. Stoppable continued into the kitchen while Kim called her mother. Mrs. Possible answered immediately.

"Hi Kimmie, when are you getting home? It's a downpour outside."

At that moment, Ron reached the top of the stairs and his towel came undone, dropping to his feet. "Awwww really? It's just the first day back with Kim and this starts up again?"

Kim was having great trouble controlling her laughter. "Yeah I just saw Ron's bu— I mean I just saw." she giggled. "I'm over at Ron's now, and Mrs. Stoppable was nice enough to offer me dinner. Is that okay with you?"

"That's fine, Kim. Just make sure to thank them."

"I know, mom. 'Kay thanks bye," Kim hung up and burst out into laughter. Ron, humiliated once more, gathered up his towel and held it around himself, making sure that he made it to his room without losing his privacy, or rather what was left of it.

Kim walked into the Stoppables' kitchen and went over to Mrs. Stoppable where she was putting a pot pie into the oven. "May I help at all?"

"Why sure! Here, can you cook this box of rice?" Mrs. Stoppable asked, handing Kim a box of rice. "The pans are in the cabinet below the stove."

"I can do that," Kim said. Then Kim laughed, still having some giggles left over.

"What's so funny, Kimberly?" she asked.

"Oh, nothing," Kim paused, "It's Ron actually."

"Oh yes. He takes after his father, you know. Back when I first met Dean, he was nothing but a goofball. But he was a lovable goof."

"Yep, Ron sure is a goof, but that's what I like about him."

"Kimberly, did you know how depressed Ronald would get when you weren't around him anymore?"

The question caught Kim off guard. "Um, I noticed how he moped around in school if that's what you mean."

"He would come home and sleep until I called him for dinner, then he would eat only a portion of what I gave him, then go back to bed. I don't know how he was able to finish his homework."

"He wasn't," Kim said with a flat face. When Mrs. Stoppable looked at her funny, Kim explained, "He wasn't able to complete his homework. We have the same teachers. But I thought that it was because Rufus was gone."

"At first, I thought it was because of that as well. But as time passed and he continued to do this day after day, I realized it couldn't be about Rufus. I found out I was correct when I heard him moping about how you didn't want to be friends with him anymore. I'm glad you changed your mind; I can tell he's happier already."

Kim decided to let Mrs. Stoppable think it was her fault so she wouldn't have to explain. "Yeah," she coughed, "I'm glad too."

Mrs. Stoppable and Kim retired to the living room to watch some television while their dinner cooked. Shortly afterward, Ron stepped into the kitchen, more appropriately dressed this time. "Mmmm, smells good in here." He looked in the oven. "Pot pie and..." he moved over to the stove. The lid on a saucepan was shaking as the pan frothed out the sides and spilled onto the stove. Ron quickly turned off the gas, took the pan off the element, and removed the lid. In the pan, a wet, unopened cardboard rice box was floating in a boiling mixture of what looked to be more butter than water. "Um, who let Kim in the kitchen?"

Kim came over to the stove saying, "What's the matter? I'm just cooking a box of rice."

Ron turned to Kim with a look of concern on his face. "Kim I don't know how you're going to live a single life once you graduate because you can't even boil water without it catching on fire."

Kim looked downcast. "Yeah, I know."

"Hey, it's not so bad," Ron said, trying to cheer her up. "Ya just gotta walk before you can run." He took the soaked box out of the pan and discarded it in the trash. Then he poured the contents of the pan into a grease jar. "Here, let me show you," he said as he put the pan in the sink and placed a clean skillet on the stove. "Now when making rice, I like to heat up the pan first while I get the ingredients," Ron said, turning on the stove. "Now would you like to help me by getting a tablespoon of butter?"

"Okay," Kim replied, a little more confident in herself now. Ron grabbed a measuring cup and eyeballed two cups of water. He then set it on the counter and went to find another box if rice. He found one in the pantry, turned, and placed the box on the counter next to the stove. Next, he looked over at Kim to see how she was doing. He was very surprised to see Kim trying to balance three unwrapped sticks of butter on a serving spoon. Kim looked up from what she was doing and saw Ron staring at her. He blinked. He blinked again. He blinked a third time before finally coming around and asking, "Uh Kim, what are you doing?"

She tried to explain, "Well, this is a table spoon, right? It usually goes on the table."

Ron facepalmed. "That," he said, pointing at the spoon, "is a serving spoon. It's used to dish out helpings for the meal."

"Oh," was all Kim could say. "Well then what is a tablespoon?"

Ron fished some measuring spoons out of a drawer. He held it up by the largest spoon. "This, Kimilla, is a tablespoon. It will measure exactly one tablespoon of whatever your heart desires." Ron casually threw the spoons over his shoulder where they landed back in the drawer, which he shut nonchalantly with his foot. "However," he explained as he picked up a butter knife, "We don't need it to measure butter."

"We don't?" Kim asked, confused.

"Of course not." Ron picked up a stick of butter in front of Kim and held it up, pointing to the wrapper. "It's already measured for us."

Kim read aloud the writing on the wrapper, "One... TBSP? What's that?"

"Tay-Bull-S-Poon," Ron accented the syllables. A look of realization crossed Kim's face. "So all that you have to do," Ron continued, "is to cut off a piece the size of a tablespoon." He handed Kim the knife he picked up. Kim successfully cut a tablespoon of butter off the end. Ron went over to the stove and hovered his hand over the pan, then took it and waved it up and down in the air.

"Why are you doing that?" Kim asked.

"The pan is too hot, so I'm cooling it off."

"Oh. You can tell?"

"Yeah, it comes with practice."

"But how did you learn all this?"

"The same way as anyone, I guess. See, the art of cuisine is very much like problem solving. You learn through trial and error. If something doesn't work, you analyze the ingredients and the preparation process to see if you can find the reason or reasons why it didn't work. Then you try again. Do you remember my seven layers of heaven?"

Kim recalled the delicacy that made Ron famous through the school in the days of Home Ec. Just thinking about it made her mouth water. "How could I forget?"

"Well it took me way more than seven times to perfect that. But I kept trying and eventually, I made it what it is today."

Kim knew that Ron was good in the kitchen, but she never suspected that he was almost on the professional level before now. Despite having been best friends for years, she suddenly felt like there was still much about Ron that she didn't know. She knew there was still some tension between them; she could feel it. She was trying her best not to show it and have a normal conversation with Ron like they used to, but it was hard. Usually Ron was the one to be the one to change the subject every two seconds. Now he was kind of calm and collected and Kim was having trouble keeping the conversation going. She hoped that this was just a phase that they had to get through and that he would be back to his goofy self in no time. But for now, she just had to play along.

By then Ron had melted the butter in the pan and added the rice. It was happily sizzling away while he stirred it with a spoon. A short while later, he asked Kim for the water he had measured and he poured it with the seasonings over the rice after she handed it to him. He started humming as he stirred it all together, and then asked Kim to set the timer, which she did. Then he put the lid on the pan and washed his hands in the sink.

"Thanks for helpin', KP," Ron said, toweling his hands off.

"No big," she replied casually. She followed Ron upstairs to his room and shut the door after her. He plopped down in in his beanbag while Kim pulled out the chair from his desk and sat in it.

"Soooooo…" Ron began.

"Soooooo…" Kim said.

Knowing a subject that Kim was always comfortable talking about, Ron asked, "You bust any villains while I was gone?"

To Ron's surprise, Kim hesitated to answer, and he didn't expect what she said. "Well, not really." She absent-mindedly pulled on her hair and continued, "I didn't go on any missions."

Ron was speechless for a moment. When he came around, he scratched his head and said, "Wait, What?"

"I kinda asked Wade to forward all my calls to GJ."

"Hold up." He paused. "Wade never told me about this! And why would you quit the missions?"

"I asked him not to tell you because I didn't want you thinking that I was doing it for you."

"But why, Kim? You're Kim Possible! Saving the world is what you do!"

"See? This is what I'm talking about. I knew you would freak if I told you I stopped taking missions." Kim sighed before she continued, "Going on missions, they're… it's not the same without you, Ron.

Ron suddenly became very interested in his shoes. After a long period of silence, "Oh" was all he could come up with.

Kim stood and walked over to Ron. She sat down next to him and put an arm around his shoulder. "You're the reason I did the missions in the first place. Remember?" Ron looked up at Kim as she explained, "Mr. Paisley was our first big-time mission. I don't think I would have jumped through all those lasers if you weren't there telling me that I could do it." She poked him on his chest as if to make a point. "I haven't been on a mission without you since. I… I can't save the world without you, Ron." Wow, weird déjà vu feeling, they both thought.

Ron looked down again. "I don't know what to say."

"Then don't say anything," Kim replied sweetly. At that moment, Ron looked into Kim's eyes and she looked into his. They could both see something there, but they couldn't tell what it was. It intrigued them, seemed to be pulling them…

The timer in the kitchen went off, breaking the teens from their thoughts. Ron shook his head and got up out of the beanbag. He held his hand out to help Kim up. She took it and he pulled her up. Trying to avoid an awkward moment, Ron pivoted on his feet and headed to the kitchen. Kim, on the other hand, had more trouble recovering from the moment. She was still confused as to what happened. She stayed in Ron's room trying to figure it out.

Kim knew from the point that she stepped foot in Ron's house today that he was not the same as before. It was definitely awkward when she was trying to have a conversation with him. She hated that. However, she was just glad that she was able to talk to him. That much made her happy. And she was willing to go through all the awkward if it meant that they could be the friends that they were before. Kim missed that oh so much. She had to admit that she didn't realize what a part of her life Ron was he started shutting her out. Kim had been so wrapped up in Bonnie's little "food chain" that she didn't see what she really needed in her life wasn't a hottie like Josh Mankey to crush on and shove in Bonnie's face, but a true friend. Someone to share secrets with. Someone who she could be herself around and not care about what they thought about her atrocious eating habits. (Only Ron and her family had seen that part of her.) Someone who she knew would always have her back. Someone who held her at bay whenever she tried to take on too many responsibilities. Someone who she could share all her insecurities with and know would hold her and tell her it was okay. Someone, whom until now, she had taken for granted many times and who she used for her own selfish needs, not thinking about how her actions may have affected him.

"Oh Ron, I'm so sorry," She whispered to herself as the tears started to flow. "I know I've been a horrible friend over the years. And when I told I would be there for you when you lost Rufus, you didn't believe me because I've never been there for you. I always ran off with you to another villain's lair, not thinking twice about whether you wanted to go or not, or I would run off with another 'hottie' and I never stopped to think about how that affected you. I-I'm so very sorry R-Ron."

Kim was now crying freely now, trying desperately to hide her sobs lest someone hear them. Then she started thinking about all the good times she had with Ron. All the times they had foiled Drakken's latest scheme or complained about Bonnie's latest attempt to undermine Kim's social standing in what came to be known as 'their' booth in Bueno Nacho. She remembered the time when they had switched brains and had gained respect for each other on a whole new level. She remembered when Ron had travelled all the way to Cambodia on a school night to reverse the embarrassing effect that Drakken had put on her and he showed up at just the right time to save her from vanishing into nonexistence. She still felt horrible about her actions that night. She and Ron hadn't talked about it since. But she remembered when Ron saved the cheer squad and then the entire cheer camp at Lake Wannaweep. She remembered when ate his weight in Bueno Nacho the day of the grand opening. They were five years old at the time, but she still remembered it clear as day. She remembered the time when she was under the effect of Dr. Bortel's ferociously unethical moodulator and she had thrown a hotdog cart at Ron. Afterwards when he walked her home, she had fallen to her knees and broke down crying because that day had left her unbelievably stressed, and she couldn't take it for a moment longer. (Even world-saving perfectionist varsity cheerleader captains have their bad days.) She remembered Ron pulling her to him and comforting her in his arms. He was always so good at that. And she had missed that so very much. It felt so good when Ron held her again today. He was so gentle with her, his touch was warm and soothing. For some reason she never felt that way with anyone else, not even Josh. Ron was special to her, and she missed him so, so much. Now Kim realized that's what she had felt when she was looking into his eyes moments ago. She didn't immediately know what to call the feeling. It was a warm, fuzzy one, full of care and emotion. Soft but strong, gentle yet passionate. And it clicked. It was love. And the best kind of love that a friend could give. Kim admitted to herself that she loved Ron, in a platonic sort of way, for what he does, what he stands for, and all that he is. And Kim now realized that she couldn't have asked for a better friend to have. She smiled at that fact, and she wiped her nose while sitting up straight. She just hoped, so desperately hoped that she could pick up the pieces and salvage their somewhat broken friendship.

Kim recalled the thing that troubled her earlier when she was snuggled up against Ron's chest. It had hit her like the biggest surprise that she ever had, but at the same time it made sense. Still, Kim didn't know how to react to it. She didn't know what to think about it.

"Ohhhh, my head hurts," Kim groaned. "I'll think about it later."

She wiped her damp eyes and stood up to go see what Ron was up to. She didn't realize just how hungry she was until a wonderful aroma drifted past her nose. She floated down the stairs with a dreamy expression on her face, licking her lips in the anticipation of the meal that was soon to be served. Kim walked into the kitchen and was greeted by Ron.

"Hey KP. Glad you could join us for dinner," he said eagerly.

"Thanks for uh, inviting me," She said awkwardly. She then distracted her thoughts by looking around the kitchen. The rice was happily sizzling away on the stove, the pie was sitting on a hot pad on the table while it was cooling, and Ron was attending to the silverware at the table. She decided to help him by getting plates and glasses for everyone. She stacked three plates and carried them to the table, then she grabbed three glasses and set them on the table. Ron was right after her, pouring milk elegantly into the glasses. Ron put the milk away, and he grabbed the rice pan as he turned off the stove. He carried it over to the table and laid a helping of rice on each plate. Kim cut the steaming pie with a knife and placed a serving on the plates after Ron. Ron returned the rice to the stove, and walked back over to Kim after she had put the lid back on the pot pie to keep it warm. They both high-fived out of habit. She felt like her old self again, like she and Ron were a team. She missed that old feeling.

Ron called his mother to the table and the all sat down together. Kim was the first to speak.

"This pot pie is delicious, Mrs. Stoppable."

"Why thank you, Kimberly. It was my grandmother's recipe," she replied.

Kim really enjoyed being in the company of her best friend again. She also enjoyed the dinner and appreciated that Mrs. Stoppable was kind enough to invite her to dinner. She conversed with Ron and his mother as she ate.

After she finished, she brought her plate to the kitchen sink. Mrs. Stoppable had already finished her dinner and was washing the dishes.

"I'll take that off your hands, Kimberly," she said kindly.

"Thank you, Mrs. Stoppable. And thank you for the lovely dinner as well."

"Think nothing of it," she said to Kim.

"No really, thank you. You didn't have to do this for me and it's really nice that you did."

As Ron was still happily inhaling a third helping of rice, Mrs. Stoppable bent over to Kim's ear and said to her in a hushed tone, "I've noticed what a positive impact you have on my son, Kim. He's happier now than he's been in a long time." She paused for a moment, then continued, "While I may not approve of my Ronald traveling halfway across the globe on a school night, I've come to understand why you go on these 'missions.' I also understand that Ronald is very much like his father." She paused again. "He is loyal to those he loves dearly. My son loves you, Kimberly. I don't mean boyfriend-girlfriend love, I mean unconditional love. No matter what, Ron will always do what he can to make you happy. I know my son can sometimes be narrow-minded, but I also know that he never means anyone harm. Let me ask you something. Has Ronald ever hurt you and not felt sorry about it afterwards?"

Kim looked up at Mrs. Stoppable. "No. I can't remember any time that happened. But why are you telling me all this?"

"Because I know that while loyalty is the best quality of any friend, it can also break his heart. What I mean by that is… well I'll put it this way. Would you die for Ron?"

"Absolutely," Kim said without skipping a beat.

"Are you sure about that? Have you ever been in a life or death situation?"

Kim shook her head no.

"And can you tell me this: do you love my son as much as he loves you?"

The question caught Kim completely off guard. "I-I-I-I don't kn-know what to say about that," she replied after sometime. "I mean Ron is the best friend I've ever had, but I don't know h-how to feel about if I l-lo-lo—"

"It's okay. I didn't mean to upset you. I just want you to think about that, okay? I care for my Ronald deeply, and I'm sure you do too. I don't want his heart broken. I feel that if that happened, it would be worse than what happened when he lost Rufus."

Kim looked up at Mrs. Stoppable, who had a sad expression on her face. Kim gathered up the courage to say, "I understand. If what you say is true… I think I just need some time to think it over."

"Thank you, Kimberly. I'm sorry if I upset you."

Kim turned around to see Ron gathering his plate and glass and watched him as he walked over the sink and handed his dishes to his mother. He said to Kim, "Come on, let's go upstairs."

* * *

When Kim closed the door to Ron's room, Ron asked, "So what was my mom talking to you about?"

Kim realized that Ron had seen them talking. She didn't want to tell him everything that Ron's mother told her, so she said, "She was just telling me how happy you've seemed since I came over today." She immediately felt bad for not telling him the full truth, but she managed not to grimace.

"Oh," was all Ron could say as he blushed. "Uh, yeah I guess."

"You guess what?"

"I uh, I guess I'm actually really happy that you uh, came over today," he managed to get out while he was nervously rubbing the back of his neck.

"Awwww, Ron that's so sweet." Kim hugged him as she sat on the bed next to him.

"I guess… what I mean… well what I'm trying to say is…" He sighed. "I should have come and talked to you earlier, Kim. I should have asked you how you were doing or asked if you wanted to hang at Bueno Nacho or something. I let my own self-hate and fear of rejection get in the way of our friendship. And now I feel really bad about it."

Kim suddenly realized that this is the thing Mrs. Stoppable was just telling her. Ron felt bad about how he hurt her and he was trying to tell her he didn't mean to. Kim now had a new understanding of Ron and how much he loved her. It scared her and it flattered her at the same time. Scared her that she was just now aware of it and it was new to her, and flattered her that he cared for her that much. Here was a person who cared so much for her that he would overcome his fears of imminent danger just to have her back on every mission they ever went on together. Kim also understood now why it was so hard to stay mad at Ron after he did something she didn't approve of. He never meant to hurt her. He just made mistakes like any normal human being, and he apologized and tried to reconcile for every single one of them. He really had the biggest heart in the world.

"It is okay, Ron. I understand now. She hugged him again and this time he hugged her back.

"I missed your hugs," he said. Kim just smiled and laid her head in the crook of his neck. They held each other for some time. Eventually Ron pulled away. Kim opened her eyes to look at him and he gave her a goofy grin. Kim just chuckled.

Kim remembered her offer that she had and decided that it was a good time to ask. "So Ron, do you want to walk to Bueno Nacho after school tomorrow? Dinner's on me and you can grande-size your heart out."

Kim knew that Ron couldn't possibly turn that down. She watched with glee as his mouth started watering and his eyes glazed over. Oh, she had him hooked good.

"You just offered a first-class ticket to cheese heaven," he said. "Count me in!"

"One condition though," she said playfully.

"Oh? What's that?"

"You versus me in an all-you-can-eat chimerito contest," Kim challenged, pointing her thumb at herself.

"KP," Ron smiled mischievously, "eat your heart out."

* * *

Author's Notes:

Again with the rain working to the kids' advantage. Now if only Kim knew everything about her clumsy friend. (Oh, but she doesn't know the half if it!)

So I know that I seemed to be droning _on and on_ about feelings and thought process and other boring stuff with all this plot development that I wrote into this long chapter. I'll admit that I came up with most of this chapter when I was falling in love (oh the horrors), so that explains all the mushy stuff. Then of course life got in the way again before I could post the chapter. So today I finally picked it back up and did some proof reading and posted it.

The reason why I decided not to take anything out after rereading it is that if I take out one part, it always affects the flow of events in the chapter. That, and all this is setting the scene for events later in the story. After all, that's what plot development is, is it not?

So enough about me and my problems. As always, please leave a review if you feel compelled to. I always appreciate knowing that I have some readers who are reading my stuff even if I post infrequently. I can't promise when I'll have another chapter out. I can say that it probably will not be a chapter for this fic.

This is the Krekeler,

Over and Out.


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